Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will step down

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced her resignation to the president yesterday afternoon. She was the first Latina to serve in a Cabinet and was one of five female Cabinet secretaries.

“After much discussion with family and close friends, I have decided to begin a new future, and return to the people and places I love and that have inspired and shaped my life,” Solis wrote in a letter to her agency's employees.

Solis said she plans to return to her home state of California, where she served as a congresswoman. The Wall Street Journal reports that she may run for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

In a statement, the president called Solis “a tireless champion for working families.” He also said she was “a critical member” of his economic team who “worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the middle class.”

Solis’ departure likely will please business groups, as they had faced tougher workplace-safety laws and overtime regulations under her watch. Solis also supported strong collective-bargaining rights.